Toronto Blue Jays: Grades for Every Player in April

At 9-18, the Toronto Blue Jays have had a tough month. That is putting it lightly. The Blue Jays have been terrible and were one outfield throw away from being swept in the last two series against divisional opponents.

In their last 13 games, they are 3-10. This season is quickly getting away from them and some changes need to be made.

This article will not address the changes that need to be made for the Blue Jays (*cough* John Gibbons *cough* *cough*) but merely seeks to address how every main player on the team has fared in the first month of the season. Overall team grade: D.

NOTE: We will not be giving a grade to players who have barely played this season. We will grade some on the bench and all of the main relievers, but guys like DeRosa, Lincoln and Gonzalez will not be mentioned in this piece other than, of course, in this corresponding blurb.

J.P Arencibia: B

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J.P. started the season off terribly. Opening night was a borderline disaster with all of those passed knuckleballs, and his defence has been shaky at best.

That being said, his offence has been an excellent surprise and one of the few bright spots for the Blue Jays. Arencibia now has eight home runs on the season (which was tied for the lead in the AL until last night) and his swing is looking crisp and compact at the plate.

By trying to even out his woeful catching and hot bat, we end up with a B grade.

Edwin Encarnacion: B-

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Edwin has been hot and cold. He started the season off terribly but is currently on a nice little hot streak, tallying five home runs in his last six games. That being said, he has not been very reliable with runners in scoring position (RISP) this year and his batting average of .227 is very poor for a cleanup hitter.

It would be unfair for us to give Edwin a grade starting with a C when he has seven home runs on the year and has played well enough at first.

Maicer Izturis: C

Izturis looks to be the everyday second baseman at this point in the season. Izturis, known for his speed and defence, hasn't provided quite the defensive help that we had hoped for.

Izturis is batting .200 on the season and has as many home runs as he did all of last season in 100 games (two). Izturis needs to be a rock on the defensive end if he looks to keep his hold of the second-base job over, Emilio Bonifacio who has been even worse.

Jose Reyes: INC

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Reyes played admirably and very well before injuring himself on that awkward slide into second base. It would be unfair to give Reyes a grade this season as he only played in 10 games. That being said, I am never a fence-sitter and had Reyes continued this pace, he would have undoubtedly received an A or A+ grade, as he is batting .395 with five stolen bases and a 4/5 K/BB ratio in those 10 games.

Brett Lawrie: C-

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Lawrie has clearly underperformed since returning from the DL. He has definitely picked up the pace in the last four games by garnering six hits (two of them home runs), but all that did was prevent a failing grade in this piece.

Lawrie sports an ugly 16/3 K/BB and has only one double to his credit. Yes, his timing was off and he needed to get reacclimated to the game, but he needs to maximize and harness his energy in the right fashion.

Let's hope he keeps up what he has had going over the last couple of games.

Melky Cabrera: C

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Melky has not been as terrible as the rest of the Blue Jays, but he hasn't been real good, either. He only has eight runs scored, but oftentimes, that can't be helped when your teammates are not cashing you in.

The biggest problem with Melky to date is his lack of extra-base power. He has zero home runs, one double and two triples. He needs to improve on that mark, especially if he is to bat second for the Blue Jays.

Colby Rasmus: B-

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Colby Rasmus is the biggest feast-or-famine player on the Blue Jays to date. He has a ridiculous 36 strikeouts in 80 plate appearance this season (thus he is striking out just under half of his plate appearances; 45 percent). However, that also comes with nine extra-base hits.

His fielding has been excellent, as per usual, and you can tell when he is in centre field versus someone like Rajai Davis...

All in all, if he can keep up this power but lower the strikeout total, then he will be successful near the bottom of the lineup.

Jose Bautista: D+

Simply put, Bautista has one RBI when not hitting a home run, and that came on a groundout in the third game of the season. All of the other 10 RBI have come via his seven home runs.

Take away his seven home runs and Bautista has been terrible this season and not the All-Star calibre player we all expected.

Bautista is currently under the Mendoza line at .192. He has three doubles on the season and is currently striking out at a career rate (20 in 19 games).

Bautista is successful when he has roughly a 1/1 K/BB ratio and is patient (he currently sports a 2.22/1 K/BB ratio) at the plate. He has looked angry and upset more often than not and I believe that umpires are taking notice (as well as walking on the fourth ball before it is called).

Although his leadership in the clubhouse is there, it hasn't translated to the field, and his fielding has been average at best.

R.A. Dickey: C

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Dickey has been up and down but not the rock that we had hoped to acquire at this point in the season. Dickey currently sports a 4.50 ERA and has as many losses this season (four) as he did on September 10th of last season. In case you are wondering, that is four-and-a-half months from now.

His strikeouts are down and his WHIP is up over .25 points.

He had a terrible first week of the season and he has improved, but we traded for an ace and Cy Young winner, not a decent mid-rotation guy.

Brandon Morrow: D

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Everyone expected Brandon Morrow to become a bona fide perennial All-Star after his success in an injury-plagued 2012. Unfortunately, the trend continues for Blue Jays in April, as Morrow currently sports a 5.27 ERA and 1.54 WHIP.

His strikeouts are down (6.26 K/9) and he has already given up four gopher balls. He has given up 15 earned runs in his last four starts and doesn't look anything like the guy Gibbons tabbed as the No. 2 in his rotation.

Mark Buehrle: C-

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Buehrle has been exactly what was advertised (to me anyway). I did not believe that he would maintain an ERA under 4.00 this season. A contact pitcher playing in the small AL East park will give up many more runs than his time in the giant Marlins park.

He has pitched two games where he has given up two runs and three games where he has given up five earned runs or more. Buehrle only gave up five-plus earned runs in a game three times all of last season...

He needs to put the Blue Jays in a position where they can win ball games. We don't expect gems from Buehrle, but we do expect low run totals.

Josh Johnson: D

He currently sports a 6.86 ERA and has given up two, three, four and six earned runs in his four starts. Moreover, he missed his start this weekend due to tricep soreness/tightness.

For a pitcher who usually has great command and control (for his career he walks roughly one batter every three innings), his control has been questionable (this season he is nearly walking one batter every two innings).

His strikeouts are there, but he has given up one home run in every start other than one. Oddly enough, the one start he didn't give up a home run was when he gave up six earned runs in 1.1 innings.

Darren Oliver: B-

Aaron Loup: A-

Aaron Loup has been one of the biggest surprises for the Blue Jays this season.

After pitching 30-plus innings as a rookie last season (with a WHIP under 1.00 mind you), many wondered if Loup would have the same success this season.

He certainly has, and he has been an excellent asset in the bullpen. He is capable of pitching hard to both lefties and righties (due largely to his unique delivery), all while pitching multiple innings.

He already has three unearned runs this season, but overall, Loup has been quite dynamic out of the 'pen.

Esmil Rogers: C

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Rogers has been all over the place this season. He has yet to give up a home run, but he is also striking out less than half his batters. He has kept his walk total low to date (three walks in 13 innings) and it is clear that he has an electric arm.

He has been average all season and we expect this young fireballer to increase the strikeout numbers and improve as the season progresses.

Rajai Davis: B

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Davis has provided exactly what you expect from your fourth outfielder.

Davis has provided speed, aggression and has become a solid little pinch hitter late in the game. His ability to steal second and third is an excellent tool for manager John Gibbons to have in his back pocket late in games.

As usual, Davis has crushed left-handed pitching to the tune of a .333 average (7-for-21). With Colby struggling against southpaws, it is an easy plug-in for Gibbons.

Davis has also single-handedly won a game for the Blue Jays, when his throw home last week extended the ballgame against the Orioles, which the Blue Jays came back to win. Had he not made that throw, the Jays would have been swept in two straight series.

Mark DeRosa: C+

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DeRosa was brought in to be more of a player coach who could also play different positions around the park. His main goal was to help the progression of Brett Lawrie and to date, that is a...work in progress.

He has come up with some big plays this season in limited playing time (April 10th, to be exact) and will continue to be called on to help spell some players in the dog days of summer and to help along many of the young players on the roster.